Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Big Night Timpano Revisited

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La TIMPANO


BIG NIGHT


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"THIS SO GOOD"


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"I Should FUCKING KILL You" !!!

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IL TIMPANO

BIG NIGHT


Starring STANLEY TUCCI

ISABELLA ROSSELLINI

and MARK ANTHONY



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BIG NIGHT

Two brothers from Abruzzo, Primo The Chef) and his brother Secondo (maitre'd Manager) own a failing restaurant called Pradise on the Jersey Shore of the 1950s. It's not that the restaurant is not good, it is, Chef Primo is making some awesomely authentic Italian Food that is quite good. The only problem is that the customers don't appreciate how good it is. They are used to and want the socalled Americanized Italian Food and bother Secondo is the one working out on the dining room floor and has to deal with customer requests and complaints and tries to get his brother Chef Primo to make the food the customers want. What they want is not authentic and Primo refuses to make such things.

The popular Band Leader Louis Prima is coming to town and competing restuarantuer Pascal who owns the nearby Italian Restaurant "Pascal's" says he knows Louis Prima and he will get him to go to the brothers restaurant in hops of helping to boost business if people know that the famous Italian-American singer Louis Prima likes to eat there. So the brother plan to make a special banquet for the esteemed guest, with the center piece of the meal being a Timpano.Timpano is an elaborate dish made of a pastry hell set in a drum which is a timpano pan  where the dish gets its name. The Timpano is stuffed with Pasta, Meat Ragu, and Cheese and baked in the oven.

The filming of the making of the Timpano is a highlight and most famous part of the  film as well as when the brothers serve the Timpano and Pascal goes up to Primo and says, "This is so Fucking Good I shoudl Kill You," and Pascal proceeds to Kiss and Hug Primo. In the end Louis Prima never shows.





GRANDMA BELLINO'S COOKBOOK


RECIPE for TIMBLLO aka TIMPANO


CAPONATA

PASTA con SARDE

RAGU SICILIANA


and More  ...
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Eating and Drinking in Positano and The AMALFI COAST



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A Bottle of FERRARI "PERLE" 2007

The First of 5 Bottles of Ferrari "Perle" we had on The AMALFI COAST 2018




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Linguine with Langostines
Lo Smeraldino Ristorante
AMALFI



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The View From Our Table at Lo SMERALDIO RISTORANTE

Lunch Saturday May 19, 2018

Myself, Cousin Tony and Alan Spinelli



I had a wonderful little vacation in the Spring of 2018. Starting in Rome, then on to The Amalfi Coast; Minori, Salerno, Positano, Amalfi, Sorrento, and Frascati. The Amalfi Coast is one of the most beautiful places on Planet Eart, "therre is no question of that." You go for the beauty, to lie on the beach soaking in the lush Sun of Southern Italy and .AMalfi Coast. You also go to eat. You should have a nice lunch, maybe an apertivo or two in the late afternoon, take a nap, then have dinner at a nice ristorante or trattoria in whatever town you might be in; on Capri, in Amalfi, Positano, wherever, you can't go wrong on the Amalfi Coast, in Sorrento, Napoli, or the Siland of Ischia, you will eat well. We had a wonderful lunch after cousin Tony picked me up at the ferry station after I took a boat from Minori to Salerno to rendevous with Tony. We went directly from the ferry terminal to eat lunch at La Spagnola Ristorante in Salerno where my cousins Mimmo and Marta had taken Tony the night before. Anyway, we went to La Spagnola and had a fine lunch of incrediable Polpette di Alici (Anchovy Meatballs) and Insalta di Polpo for our antipasto. Then Tony had Linguine Frutta di Mare and Alan and I both got a plate each of some tasty Spaghetti Vongole. We drank nice bottle of Prosecco and had a most wonderful lunch which along with our lunch the following day was my favorite of the entire trip. La Spagnola is one of the best restaurants in the city, so if you ever find yourself in Salerno, you might to eat there.








A Fisherman mends his Nets on The LUCIA MADRE

CETARA

ITALY




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Razor Clams and Alici

La SPAGNOLA RISTORANTEO

MeTonyLaSPAGNOLArestorante18


With Alan S. Myself and Cousin Anthony
Outside La SPAGNOLA RISTORANTE

Salerno
ITALY


The Next day we decided to go have lunch in Amalfi after a stop at Cetara along the way. Cetara is the only true old fishing village along the coast. The fishermen there catch all sorts of fish, like; Pesce Spada, Tonno, Cozze, Calamari, Sepia, and other fish and shellfish, but they are most famous for Alici, which are Anhovies and when you see Alici on the menu of any restuarant on the Amalfi Coast, they most likely were caught by a fisherman of Cetara



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Alan Cousin Tony and Myself at Our Amazing Lunch
at Lo SMERALDINO  
AMALFI


So when driving on the Amalfi Coast, it can sometimes be quite trying if you get stuck in traffic and then trying to find a parking space when you get into town. o Cousin Tony when he saw there was parking at the restaurant L Smeraldino, he pull in. At first I wasn't so sure about the restaurant but I didn't say anything. I wasn't there too long when I knew it would be good. One of the waiters sat us at a greaat table right next to the water with an amazing view of Amalfi. It was truly spectacular. Cousin Tony gave me the wine list and told me to pick a nice bottle of Champagne. I looked the list over and saw some of the fine Italian Sparklers on the list and told Tony why don't we get one of them. I assured him they were really good. Tony agreed, and we picked a bottle of Ferrari "Perle" 2007 which is made in the Methode Classico which means in the style of Champagne. Champagne is usuually made with 100% Chardonnay grapes or a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir or all Pinor Noie in more rare cases. When made of 100% Chardonnay grapes the Champagne is called Blanc d Blanc. Anyway, this is just a brief bit about french Champagne just to help clarify this Italian Sparkling wine we were drinking that was made in Trentino in Northern Italy. The wine is made in the style of French Champagne and is of the highest quality. So anyway, the waiter brought us the bottle of Ferrari Perle, and we tasted it, it it tasted quite good. Well actually, more than good, this Italian Sparkling Wine was just about as good as you could get from a sparkling wine and the equal and even better than just about any French Champagne you might find. We just loved it and the wine went well with everyhthing we ate for lunch, including: Grilled Calamari, Insalta di Polpo, Grachi (Local Crab), Linguine with Langostines, and Spaghetti Arogosta (Lobster). I think I Created a Monster that day, as Tony wanted to get a bottle of Ferrari "Perle" at almost every meal we had, he absoutely adored the wine and I was thrilled that he did. This is our story of eating on the AMalfi Coast and having several bottles of the awesome wine Ferrari "Perle" along the way. We had vintages of 2007, 2009, and 2010, with a total of 5 bottles of this wonderful wine during our stay on the Amalfi Coast. It was great. . 





  Daniel Bellino-Zwicke 





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FerrariBucoBACCOpositano


FERRARI "PERLE"


At BUCO di BACCO RISTORANTE



Vintage 2007


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The Terrazzo
BUCO di BACCO

POSITANO


ITALY
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GILIO FERRARI
At AURORA PIZZERIA RSITORANTE
SORRENTO



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COZZE

AROURA




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Pizzaioli at AURORA
SORRENTO



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At AURORA PIZZERIA RSITORANTE


SORRENTO
ITALY




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MANGIA ITALIANO

MEMORIES of ITALIAN FOOD





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with a Glass of FERRARI "PERLE"

LUNCH at BUCO di BACCO


POSITANO

ITALY
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Tuesday, June 12, 2018

JOHN TRAVOLTA DAY Lennys Pizza BROOKLYN

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JOHN TRAVOLTA

as TONY MANERO

In SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

1977



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JOHN TRAVOLTA Returns to BROOKLYN

86th STREET , BENSONHURST

On JOHN TRAVOLTA DAY



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JOHN TRAVOLTA Eats a Double Decker

One SLICE of PIZZA on TOP of ANOTHERAt LENNY'S PIZZA

BROOKLYN

NEW YORK

on JOHN TRAVOLTA DAY

Tuesday June 12, 2018

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SUNDAY SAUCE

From Another ITALIAN-AMRICAN

JERSEY BOY

Author Daniel Bellino "Z"


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I had a most wonderful day today in Brooklyn at the JOHN TRAVOLTA DAY Celebration on 86th Street in Bensonhurst at LENNY'S PIZZA where John Travolta ate a Double Decker while walking down 86th Street in the opening scene of the 1977 Blockbuster Movie SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER Starring Italian-American Actor from New Jersey John Travolta. John strutted his stuff to the BEE GEES  other was a Monster Billboard Hit along with othersongs like : MORE THAN a WOMAN, IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU (Evan Ellerman), and the rest of the Saturday Night Live Soundtrack.

Anyway JOHN TRAVOLTA DAY was the Brainchild of Mr. Travolta's fellow actor Willy Mateo of Brooklyn who co-stars with John in the upcoming motion picture GOTTI about famed MAFIA BOSS The Late JOHN GOTTI. The event was Hosted by CBS FM Radio Station with Disc Jockey Brooklyn's own JOE CAUSI as Mater of Cermony.
 
So I hopped on the D Train at West 4th Street in New York's Greenwich Village and I was on my way. When I first heard about JOHN TRAVOLTA DAY I knew I wanted to go. The night before, I was sort of on the fence whether to truck it all the way out to Bensonhurst or not. Now in retrospeccy, boy am I glad I made the decision to go. As Willy Mateo, Joe Causi and others said, "they were making history.," and they were. John has never done this before and he may or may or not do it again, who knows when the 50th Anniversary of this Iconic Movie SAYURDAY NIGHT FEVER comes rollong around in 9 years?
 
So I trucked it out to Bensonhurst and got off at the 20th Avenue Station in Besnonhurst Brooklyn. As I walked out of the train station I could already hear the music playing right there on 86th Street. I waldedup to the crowd, and boy was it crowded. After there a few minutes I started having seccond thoughts about the whole thing. i don't really like crowds and with all these people, what would I see? Well I stuck it out. I waited well over an hour in this Brooklyn crowd. I had brought two copys of my book SUNDAY SAUCE that wanted to give to both JOE CAUSI and 
JOHN TRAVOLTA. I signed one copy to Joe and one to Mr. Travolta in the hopes of giving a copy each to John and Joe.
 
So I waited patiently hoping that it would all be worh it in the end. Well, guess what? It was. I had an absolutely wonderful time. John finely made it up to the stage and I along with the large crowd got quite excited. we were all thrilled to see this Iconic Actor who all touched our lives so many years ago. many of us were quite young way back in 1977 and life can be tough, things change and life just happens. Millions of us got great Joy from watching John Travolta as Vinny Barbarino in WELCOME BACK KOTTER about the so-called SWEAT HOGS, misfits in a Brooklyn High School. But what we reallly loved most was John Travolta's wonderful performance Tony Manero in the much loved film SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER.
 
Yes the crowd went wild when John took the stage and started speaking, saying how Brooklyn was in his DNA and how Happy he was to come back. John was quite gracious in his speaking to his adoring fans and afterwards as he signed hundreds of autographs, ate some Lenny's Pizza and Boogied to STAYING ALIVE, we all just loved it, and in these crazy times we live in it's moments like this when we can share time together re-living old fond memories like seeing SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER at the local movie theater, seeing John Dance and act a great part. We all just loved itand a moment that made history on JOHN TAVOLTA DAY in BROOKLYN NEW YORK. Than You John, we loved the day, we love you and the music and memories of a long time ago.




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Daniel Bellino Zwicke


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JOHN TRAVOLTA Graciously Signing Autographs

in Front of LENNY'S PIZZA

BENSONHURST 


On JOHN TRAVOLTA DAY

BROOKLYN , NEW YORK
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JOHN TRAVOLTA Boogyingdown

In BROOKLYN

NEW YORK


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JOHN TRAVOLTA

as TONY MANERO

In SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

PIZZA

at LENNY'S PIZZERIA

BENSONHURST

BROOKLYN
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The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK

SECRET RECIPE BOLOGNESE

by DANNY BOLOGNESE





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JOHN TRAVOLTA with Wife Kelly Preston , Acotr Willy Mateo

John Gotti Jr., and Radio DJ BrOOKLYN'S Own JOE CAUSI

On 86th Street Bensonhurst BROOKLYN on JOHN TRAVOLTA DAY








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Saturday, June 9, 2018

Anthony Bourdain Quotes

 

BourdainTONYyyyy

Our Boy Tony

PERSONAL MOTTO ... “Your body is not a temple, it’s an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.” SHAKE SHACK BURGER ... On Shake Shack: Back before Danny Meyer’s burger restaurant became a global chain, Bourdain frequently picked it up when he returned from trips. In 2011, he said that when one opened near him on the Upper East Side, “I dropped to my knees and wept with gratitude.” His order: “I’m having a double cheeseburger naked, please. No lettuce. No tomato. No nothing. Just cheese and two burgers on a potato bun. I’ll have two of those and I’m happy. I’m singing America, fuck yeah!”

SHACKburger

MINUS the Lettuce and Tomatoes for TONY

CRONUTS ... Cronuts : At the peak of the craze over Dominique Ansel’s croissant-doughnut hybrid, Bourdain gave his seal of approval: “Oh God, it’s good. Oh God, it’s really good.” .

TONY on KEEN'S

On the cherished institution that is Keens steakhouse: “You can’t really do any better or more authentic than Keens, a place that goes right back to the old school all-male world of beefsteak parties, the political power built around beef, bloody aprons, and smoke-filled rooms.” The comments were part of his No Reservations visit to the Midtown staple, where he dined with Josh Ozersky. “I like to think if you came here in another 50 years it would be exactly the same,” Bourdain said.

BourdainOzerslyKEENS.jpg

The Late Great Anthony Borudain

with The Late Great Josh Ozersky at KEEN'S

Drinking Scotch Whiskey and Eating MEAT !

BIG SLABS of MEAT

BourdainPRIMrib.jpg

 

On VEGETARIANS ...

“Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter-faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn.  To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living.  Vegetarians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food. The body, these waterheads imagine, is a temple that should not be polluted by animal protein. It's healthier, they insist, though every vegetarian waiter I've worked with is brought down by any rumor of a cold.  Oh, I'll accomodate them, I'll rummage around for something to feed them, for a 'vegetarian plate', if called on to do so. Fourteen dollars for a few slices of grilled eggplant and zucchini suits my food cost fine.”   

The EAST VILLAGE  ....   

On changes in EAST VILLAGE: “I don’t even want to talk about what the East Village used to be like compared to today. It was like Mad Max, post-apocalyptic. Now, it looks like a fucking Dave Matthews concert.”

    On His WORK ... “I have the best job in the world. If I’m unhappy, it’s a failure of imagination.”   On Learning to COOK : “Basic cooking skills are a virtue... the ability to feed yourself and a few others with proficiency should be taught to every young man and woman as a fundamental skill. [It’s] as vital to growing up as learning to wipe one’s own ass, cross the street by oneself, or be trusted with money.” On QUEENS :

On Queens as a place to eat: In Season 9 of Parts Unknown, Bourdain highlighted food in various parts of Queens. The proliferation of street carts, he says, is what makes it so great: “Manhattan is very much the, you know, ‘not in my backyard neighborhood’ in a lot of ways. I mean, for this reason, Manhattan in my view is a lot less interesting than Queens. This is a wonderland.”

  EGGS ...   “An EGG in anything makes it better.”  

BourddainCroque.jpg

A CROQUE MADAME

The Way TONY Would Liked It

A Croque Madame is the French Sandwich the  CROQUE MONSIEUR CROQUE MONSIUER with a Fried Egg on Top, Ham and Gooey Melted Gruyere Cheese 

    TRAVEL ... On traveling, on culture, and on moving: “If I am an advocate for anything, it is to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food. It’s a plus for everybody.” On CHARACTER ...  “Skills can be taught. Character you either have or you don’t have.”    

BadAssCOOKBOOK

The BADASS COOKBOOK

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Friday, June 8, 2018

Farewell Tony

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BourdainTONY


TONY


Anthony Bourdain

JERSEY BOY

1956 - 2018


GOD BLESS

RIP



Friday June 8, 2018 is quite a sad day. We mourn the loss of the great and irriplaceable Anthony Bourdain, a man loved and venerated by many. I hero to some as with I. We loved watching Tony travel the World, devouring it, and enjoying every minute of it, as only Tony could do. Anthony has his own special charm and sardonic humor and wit that was all his own, uniquely Bourdain, ad this is why those of us wo loved and enjoyed Anthony will miss him, and for another bright light snuffed out, we mourn his loss, but remember him fondly. Farewell Tony, you will be profoudly missed. Good Bless and Rest in Peace.


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  Daniel Bellino Zwicke





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